Department for Business and Trade

Post Offices: Rural Areas

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government what services are currently offered bymobile service Post Offices in rural areas; and whether they will ensure that all services offered by Post Offices, such as such as the ability to deposit cash by small businesses, are replicated.

The Earl of Minto: Government protects the branch network by setting minimum access criteria and protects services, including cash and banking services, by setting minimum services to be provided at post offices across the country. This ensures that 99% of the UK population lives within three miles of a post office. Outreach Post Offices are used in communities or when it is not possible to open a full-time branch due to lack of premises or retailers in the local area. Outreaches provide a full range of services including cash and banking services.

Products: Safety

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government why discussions have been held with major online marketplaces on how to tackle unsafe products, such as toys, being sold via third-party sellers in the UK.

The Earl of Minto: Ministers in this Department held a roundtable meeting with a number of online marketplaces on 24th April, demanding they take more action to keep unsafe products off their platforms. In addition, through the Office for Product Safety and Standards, government speaks regularly and directly to online marketplaces to tackle the availability of non-compliant products sold online, requiring recalls and takedowns and, where necessary, taking enforcement action to prevent unsafe products from being made available to UK consumers. Additionally, the Government will shortly publish a consultation on the Product Safety Review which makes proposals for a more agile approach to deal with the changing world of commerce including online sales.

Xinjiang: Forced Labour

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, in light of the findings of the report of Dr Adrian Zenz, to prevent companies sourcing Xinjiang cotton from supplying slave-made goods to UK consumers.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: The Government has taken several measures to ensure that no British organisations are profiting from or contributing to human rights violations in Xinjiang. Over the last year we introduced enhanced export controls, and announced plans to introduce financial penalties for organisations who fail to meet their statutory obligations to publish annual modern slavery statements. The overseas business risk guidance makes clear to UK companies the risks of operating in Xinjiang and urges them to conduct appropriate due diligence and consider their corporate responsibilities when making business decisions.

Department of Health and Social Care

Cancer: Screening

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the impact of a delay of seven weeks for the (1) analysis, and (2) assessment, of stage 3 cancer biopsy results on patients potentially under treatment for cancer.

Lord Markham: No assessment has been made by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Screening: Royal Berkshire Hospital

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the causes and consequences of any delays in the (1) handling, and (2) supply, of histopathology test results supplied by testing centres from all locations providing services to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

Lord Markham: The Department of Health and Social Care has made no assessment.

NHS: Drugs

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the expected timeframe for homecare medicines providers to resolve complaints made by people receiving homecare medicines in England from the date the complaint is raised.

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to identify whether more than one NHS Trust in England is having the same issues with the same homecare medicines services provider; where common issues are identified, what are the next steps taken; and where accountability lies for resolving such issues with a provider when they occur across a number of Trusts.

Lord Markham: Section 4.4 of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s guidance on managing complaints and incidents, a copy of which is attached, states that for complaints requiring written response, acknowledgement should be provided within three business days; and final written response within 30 business days unless agreed otherwise with the complainant.When the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from individual contracts or reports from NHS Trusts indicate that service levels are not to the standard expected across multiple NHS Trusts, the National Homecare Medicines Committee (NHMC) enacts a Supplier Engagement Escalation Process. Meetings are held with the individual provider at which they are expected to provide a report of current status and investigations to date and a recovery plan. Each Chief Pharmacist within each NHS organisation is the responsible officer for the homecare medicines services that the hospital provides and will receive this information.A provider’s position on an NHS regional or national framework agreement may be suspended or terminated in the event of poor performance or other breach, subject to provisions of the agreement. The NHMC does not hold any enforcement powers, instead leveraging strong relationships with homecare providers and NHS organisations to facilitate safe and effective service provision and service recovery where appropriate. If necessary, the regulators Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) are also informed.Attachment (docx, 26.6KB)

NHS: Drugs

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what assurances they have received in the past 12 months from the Care Quality Commission and General Pharmaceutical Council about the standard of care provided by homecare medicines services in England.

Lord Markham: Homecare providers are contracted for their services through National Health Service trusts. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) holds trusts to account for the governance and oversight of third-party arrangements. There are eleven clinical homecare providers registered with CQC. Those that are registered with CQC are held to account through assessment and inspection under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.Under the new Single Assessment Framework, due to be rolled out later this year, CQC will no longer use a service's rating as the main driver when deciding when the next assessment is required. Evidence collected or information received at any time may trigger an assessment.The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has not found any recent systemic issues affecting any pharmacies providing homecare medicines services in England.

Carers

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what additional (1) practical, and (2) financial, support they intend to provide to unpaid careers, given new research by Carers UK which shows they are providing unpaid care worth £162 billion each year, equivalent to NHS spending in England and Wales.

Lord Markham: The Governments of the United Kingdom provide financial support to unpaid carers through Carer’s Allowance, the Carer Element in Universal Credit and through other benefits. As adult social care is a devolved matter, Devolved Administrations are responsible for delivery of services and support to carers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In England, Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to undertake a Carer’s Assessment for any unpaid carers who appears to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer. We have earmarked £327 million in the Better Care Fund for 2023/24 to provide short breaks and respite services, as well as additional advice and support for carers.

Treasury

Financial Services: Trade Competitiveness

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government inwhat ways the secondarycompetitiveness and economic growth objective under the Financial Services and Markets Bill will support the financial sector.

Baroness Penn: The new, secondary growth and competitiveness objectives introduced by the Financial Services and Markets Bill will ensure that the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) can act to facilitate medium to long-term growth and international competitiveness. A secondary objective strikes the right balance, by ensuring that the regulators have due regard to growth and competitiveness, while maintaining their focus on their existing objectives. The government expects that there will be a step-change in the regulators’ approach to growth and competitiveness following the introduction of the new objectives, while maintaining high regulatory standards. The FSM Bill includes a package of measures to increase the accountability of the PRA and the FCA to Parliament, strengthen their relationship to HM Treasury, and enhance their engagement with stakeholders. In addition, the government published a Call for Proposals on 9 May, seeking views on what additional metrics the regulators should publish to support scrutiny of their work embedding and advancing their new secondary growth and competitiveness objectives.

Crown Estate Commissioners: Wales

Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government whatplans they haveto transfer responsibility for the Crown Estate in Wales, including the coastline and seabed, to Senedd Cymru.

Baroness Penn: The Crown Estate has played a significant role in attracting international investment into Wales to support the UK’s net zero target and will continue to do so through future leasing rounds for offshore wind developments, including floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea. They work closely with Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales in support of shared priorities, ensuring that these resources are sustainably managed for the long term. Introducing a new entity would fragment the market, complicate existing processes, and likely delay further development offshore, undermining investment in Welsh waters. Therefore, the government is not planning to transfer responsibility of the Crown Estate to Senedd Cymru.

Monetary Policy: Wealth

Baroness Altmann: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the impact of quantitative easing since 2009 on the distribution of wealth by (1) age, and (2) region, across the UK.

Baroness Penn: Monetary policy, including quantitative easing, is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England. The Government is working closely with the Bank to ensure that monetary and fiscal policy are well coordinated, and fully supports the Bank in their mission to drive down inflation. The Government does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy.

Department for Education

Vocational Guidance: Specific Learning Difficulties

Lord Addington: To ask His Majesty's Government where the framework for the advice that the careers services provide to jobseekers with (1) dyslexia, and (2) other specific learning difficulties, can be found online.

Baroness Barran: The National Careers Service (the Service) provides free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills and the Labour Market in England.The Service helps customers make informed choices about their career options, whatever their age, ethnic group and background. Discussions are tailored to meet the individual needs and circumstances of each customer, such as those with dyslexia and other additional needs.The more in-depth, community-based service offers intensive support to adults (including jobseekers) with special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities as one of the six priority groups for the Service.Alongside the community-based service, customers can access the service via the National Careers Service website here: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/. The department is committed to ensuring the website is accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.The Service’s Accessibility Statement contains information about the accessibility of the website, steps that individuals can take if they cannot access parts of the website and contact details to allow individuals to report accessibility problems. The Accessibility Statement can be found here: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/help/accessibility.Development of the online service is supported by significant user research, including users with SEND. Where possible, research is undertaken across a representative range of users, including those with disabilities. Components are also tested to make sure they work with a broad range of browsers, devices and assistive technologies, including screen magnifiers, screen readers and speech recognition tools.The following webpage sets out additional, specific job support for individuals with SEND and additional needs: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/career-and-job-support-for-people-with-a-disability. This includes signposting to the British Dyslexia Association for learning disability job support.

Department for Education: Staff

Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of staff working in the Department for Education have a teaching qualification.

Baroness Barran: The information requested is not held centrally for staff at the department.

Schools: Absenteeism

Baroness Twycross: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to establish a register of children who are not in school, with a view to monitoring school absence data more closely; and if so, to what timeline.

Baroness Barran: The government remains committed to introducing statutory local authority registers for children not in school, as well as a duty for local authorities to provide support to home-educating families. We will legislate for these at the next suitable opportunity, to support local authorities to undertake their existing duties to ensure that all children receive a suitable education and are safe, regardless of where they are educated.There are existing processes in place for schools to manage cases where children are persistently absent from school. As set out in our ‘Children Not in School’ consultation response, the proposed local authority registers would only have in scope children of compulsory school age that are either not on a school roll, flexi-schooled, or receiving some or all of their education in a non-school setting. The proposed registers would not include children on a school roll who are simply absent from school, as these children will already be visible through existing school registers.The department has recently begun collecting data on electively home educated children from local authorities on a voluntary basis. Following publication of data from the autumn and spring terms of the 2022/2023 academic year on 18 May 2023, it is the department’s intention that local authority data on elective home education will be published annually thereafter.

Department for Transport

Aviation: Freight

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of restrictions on night flights on the efficiency of air freight (1) into, (2) out of, and (3) within, the UK.

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofrestrictions on night flights on the competitiveness of the UK.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government recognises the benefits that night flights bring to the economy, through connectivity and the movement of time-critical freight. We also recognise that aviation night noise can disturb people’s sleep - with the potential for health impacts. To strike a balance between the benefits and detriments, the Government sets restrictions on night flights at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports, and local planning authorities set restrictions at other airports. For the airports where restrictions are set by Government, the Government regularly consults on appropriate restrictions to find this balance. The most recent related consultation closed in early May, and we will consult on future proposals towards the end of this year. The Government is aware that the aviation industry has in the past sponsored research to assess the economic impact of night flying in the UK. Through these consultations, it is incumbent on the aviation industry to continue to develop the evidence base and demonstrate the value that night operations bring to the UK economy.

Home Office

Racial Violence: Government Assistance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support people experiencing racist assault.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Government takes all forms of hate crime, including race hate crime, seriously. We expect the police to investigate these hateful attacks and make sure the cowards who commit them feel the full force of the law. Our absolute priority is to get more police onto our streets, cut crime, protect the public and bring more criminals to justice. We are supporting the police by providing them with the resources they need, including recruiting 20,000 extra police officers. The Government has worked with the police to fund True Vision, an online hate crime reporting portal, designed so that victims of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report. The Government also funds the National Online Hate Crime Hub, a central capability designed to support individual local police forces in dealing with online hate crime. The Hub provides expert advice to police forces to support them in investigating these offences.

Daniel Morgan Independent Panel

Lord Watson of Wyre Forest: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the circumstances under which documents relating to the murder of Daniel Morgan, which were discovered locked in a cabinet at Scotland Yard, were not provided to the Independent Panel reviewing the conduct of Metropolitan Police inquiries into Mr Morgan’s murder.

Lord Watson of Wyre Forest: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the records management policy of police forces following recent revelations that the Metropolitan Police failed to disclose 95 pages of documents relating to the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel Inquiry.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has informed the Home Office of the discovery of information relevant to the work of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel (DMIP) and the subsequent inspection, commissioned by the former Home Secretary, of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). HMICFRS will review the undisclosed material. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has also been informed. The MPS has informed the family of Daniel Morgan and Baroness Nuala O’Loan, Chair of the now concluded DMIP, of the discovery, and offered to provide both with access to the material if required.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy: Conservation

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the accessibility of energy efficiency support schemes.

Lord Callanan: The Government is committed to improving customer information regarding energy efficiency schemes on GOV.UK. The current digital service was launched on GOV.UK in July 2022 and is entitled ‘Find ways to save energy in your home’. The service provides tailored impartial advice supported by an expanded telephone service which launched in March 2023. Later this year, the Government will also provide funding for a series of local demonstrator projects to provide in-person advice on energy efficiency schemes. We continue to work on enhancing the digital service, and in summer 2023 we will add functionality that will help people access government schemes.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Artificial Intelligence

Lord Birt: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of concerns expressed by (1) Dr Geoffrey Hinton, and (2) other employees of Google and Microsoft, reported in the New York Times on 7 April, about the risk AI technologies are being introduced before the risks can be fully assessed.

Viscount Camrose: In March 2023, the Office for AI published a white paper on AI regulation. The framework proposes a proportionate, collaborative approach to AI regulation, and aims to promote innovation while protecting the UK’s values. The AI regulatory framework will ensure government is able to adapt and respond to the risks and opportunities that emerge as the technology develops at pace.As part of the development of the AI regulation white paper, government officials heard from over 130 stakeholders, including civil society groups like trade bodies, unions, and rights focused groups, as well as academics and UK and global businesses at the forefront of AI development. This engagement included a focus on ensuring that the regulatory framework would be adaptable and responsive to emerging risk. Additionally in May 2023 our Secretary of State and I met with Dr Hinton to discuss AI risks and opportunities, and the role of government. The government is also working with international partners to address AI risks while promoting the UK’s values, including through key multilateral fora, such as the OECD, the G7, the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), the Council of Europe, and UNESCO, and through bilateral relationships.While direct regulation of AI will remain the responsibility of existing regulators in order to ensure a context-based approach focused on outcomes, government recognises the significance of cross-sectoral risks associated with AI. The AI regulation white paper therefore proposed a range of new central functions, including functions intended to improve government's ability to anticipate, assess and respond appropriately to emerging risks such as:Horizon scanning to identify and monitor emerging trends, risks and opportunities in AI.Cross-sectoral risk assessment to develop and maintain a cross-economy, society-wide AI risk register to facilitate structured assessment of cross-cutting risks and allowing effective, coherent mitigation planning.Monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the overall regulatory framework for AI is achieving its policy objectives and is future proof and adaptable.These central functions - together with others as set out in the white paper - will complement the existing work conducted by regulators and other government departments to tackle risks arising from AI.Government understands that a collaborative approach is fundamental to governments’ and policy-makers’ ability to tackle AI risk and support responsible AI development and use for the benefit of society. As set out in the white paper, we will continue to convene a wide range of stakeholders - including frontier researchers from industry - to ensure that we hear the full spectrum of viewpoints. The UK’s continued leadership and cooperation in international debates on AI will also enable the development of a responsive and compatible system of global AI governance, allowing us to work together on cross-border AI risks and opportunities. This breadth of collaboration will be integral to the Government's ability to monitor and improve the framework, ensuring it remains effective in the face of emerging AI risks.We are in a formal consultation period for the AI regulation white paper and encourage anyone interested to respond before 21 June.